Last Wish
by BeyondMyReach
Summary: Business AU. When Keiko died and willed her company to Yusuke, Yusuke had to undertake the task of managing Keiko's company. Past Keiko/Yusuke, eventual Yomi/Yusuke
1. Keiko

Hello, everyone! Thank you for choosing to read Last Wish. This story is **AU!Business** (kinda), but please know that I know little to nothing about business so everything here is BS-ed by yours truly. If you want to correct any misconception I may have, by all means go ahead, but I doubt I'm going to fix the misconceptions since that may affect the plot.

Another thing is that Last Wish is going to contain both **het** and **yaoi**. There's no ifs or buts. Also, there is going to a **huge age gap** (**_7 years_** or so) between Yusuke and his romantic interest. Another thing is there'll be **character death** right from the beginning (only one). If you don't like any of that or if you don't wish to read any of that, it's okay. We all know where the back button/exit button is.

If you don't mind, then please enjoy the first of three chapters of Last Wish.

* * *

Yusuke propped his body against the bed, bringing a leg up to his chest and leaned his head back onto the bed until all he could see was his ceiling. He took a deep breath in, closing his eyes in the process. It didn't help.

Yusuke sighed heavily and laid his head on top of his propped knee, his mind a mess in turmoil.

"What should I do," the twenty-three years old teen asked, recalling the phone call that he had just received, "Keiko."

xxx

Yusuke went to the lawyer the next day, signing all the necessary stuff to get what Keiko willed to him.

Which came with considerably more responsibility than he had ever wanted.

But the Keiko he knew –beautiful, older, strict and wise – was never the type to set someone up for the fall, so he would just have to believe in her decision once more.

Besides, it was considered rude to disrespect the will of the dead.

xxx

There were incredulous looks, shocked mouths dropping open and blazing red eyes speaking of deep fury and indignation. It was going exactly how Yusuke thought would end up.

Not for the first time, Yusuke considered calling quits.

Keiko was dead. She wasn't going to be there any more, nagging him to do shit, getting him out of his funks and motivating him _because I know you can be better than this_.

Yusuke's gaze snapped off to his side, to the left of him where Keiko always stood.

(He always stood on her right. Always.)

The spot was empty, but the room was not.

The shouting match had started between the vultures which Keiko had called her trusted employees of her company.

Yusuke slammed an open palm against the table and said, "I'm the boss now. Anyone got a problem, speak now or _forever hold your peace." _Yusuke could hear Keiko say beside him. He didn't look again, knowing she wasn't there.

Instead, he looked at each one of the person in the room, staring down at them until they all looked away.

Yusuke waited for a beat_-Keiko used to do this-_before he spoke. "No?" he asked, his tone sardonic. He stood, straightening his suit. "Good."

xxx

Yusuke left the room and immediately, the chaos started back up again.

Yusuke grimaced. _You left a pile of shit for me to take care of, Keiko._

He could almost pretend the indulgent smile he felt directed back at him in response was real.

xxx

The company was a mess, its employees were a mess, and the shareholders were twice as bad, which was something to say. Yusuke was getting a headache from everything.

Most of all, he was getting annoyed at the amount of proposition he received to just toss Keiko's company to the nearest hand, because he was so young and he wouldn't want to singlehandedly bring Keiko-san's company to a downfall, would he?

He glared at the telephone at rang for the umpteenth time of the day and went on ignoring it until it settled down.

Yusuke concentrated on the pile of paperwork on his desk and resigned to the second all-nighter of the week.

He took a moment to look out the window, spying the buildings below and the dot-like people walking about. He glanced up towards heavens, his eyes unwittingly softening and thought, _Watch me, Keiko. I'll do this right._

xxx

Yusuke dreamed at night, at times when he did have time to sleep. He dreamed of Keiko and her wonderful long hair, her beautiful smile and soft eyes. The way she would look at him and see through all his bullshit; her non-existence way around the kitchen. The workaholic side of her, her amused exasperation for whatever trouble Yusuke once again managed to get in.

On those days, Yusuke would wake up with tears brimming his eyes and an opened hand grasping for what was already not there.

xxx

Yusuke fucked up once, big time, early in the beginning when he just took over the company and didn't know neither the heads nor tails of the company's inner working nor anyone in the company who he could trust to work with him at the time when he needed someone the most.

Instead of doing the smart thing, the thing Keiko would have wanted him to do, Yusuke gritted his teeth, squared his shoulders and tried to do everything himself.

It was sloppy, it was careless and it was undeniable that _he could have done better._

Yusuke stumbled out of the meeting room, dejected and tired as the others in the room lingered around to talk. His proposal was outvoted 4:3.

He walked away, acid burning at him inwardly, eating him from inside out where his arm unconsciously curled around his stomach. He hadn't been eating or sleeping properly, tight on time constraint as he was. Stress gnawed at him, hollowing Yusuke's cheekbone and making his skin stretch thin over his bones.

_All for what?_ Yusuke thought, stopping and slamming his fist against the wall. "Goddamnit!" he shouted, helpless fury evident in his voice.

His binder, the one which contained his proposal, fell to the ground and the paper within scattered out.

Yusuke's eyes dropped to it and then his other hand curled, nails digging into his palm. He forced himself to take a deep breath and closed his eyes, but his fist wouldn't –couldn't – let go. Not when he could see, behind his eyelids, the looks of the people as the result came out.

A mixture of pity and satisfaction, mocking and patronage that conveyed _better luck next_ _time_, when they all knew that that was the first and only time to prove his worth, before they throw him into a position where he was only boss in name.

It was disgusting, the feeling of helpless fury.

His hand nearly offed the next person who hesitantly touched him. The person pulled back with a yelp and Yusuke saw that it was a woman with bright blue hair.

She hesitantly stepped forward again. "Sir, are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Yusuke asked, scorn in his voice. He could already hear Keiko scolding him to be _more polite. She is only trying to help. _Yusuke's eyes darted to the other woman's face, about to apologize, but stopped. "You..." Yusuke said haltingly, eyes searching the other's countenance while his mind struggling to place the face. "You were at Keiko's funeral, weren't you?"

_xxx_

_It was a sober affair, but quite impersonal as well. Keiko was a single child and her mother had unfortunately passed some time ago. A month after her mother's passing, her father soon followed. People said he died of grief._

_Keiko died of an illness, one that sapped away her energy little by little, day by day. Yusuke stood by her side and watched as his beloved grew thinner and thinner, growing sicklier with each passing day. Yusuke felt a part of him died and went with Keiko as her coffin was lowered into the ground. He felt something within him snap, when he heard people discussing about business right after._

_Cool, impersonal and utterly for business purposes only, using Keiko's funeral ground. Yusuke surged forward; the only thought in his mind was that _Keiko didn't deserve this, this mockery of a funeral_._

_"Who are you to her, boy?" the other man had asked as his companion stumbled back up to a stand after the force of the punch. Yusuke sure hoped it hurt like hell. "Why are you here even?" and Yusuke didn't need to be a business genius like Keiko to know the other guy was questioning his right to be there. And indeed, Yusuke was the only one who was not above the age of twenty-five there, the minimum age range of Keiko's acquaintance/business partners._

Attending my woman's funeral_, he wanted to spit out. But that would cause too much commotion, even by his standard. There was no need to stir things up anymore. Yusuke ignored him and turned to walk away. Another hand grabbed him and he instinctively threw it off, baring his teeth._

_The men shifted, surrounding him in a semi-circle, trapping him. Yusuke felt his lips curl, as he was reminded of a fateful night in an alleyway where a four-to-one street fight had occurred with a woman at his back to protect. It was the start of everything. "Gentlemen of the business world, aren't cha?" he asked drolly, eyeing at the men, considering. He brought up an arm._

_There was a scream, followed by a long, heart wrenching wail. "No more!" a blue haired girl cried, her face shining with streaks of tears. Tears that had been long drained from Yusuke. Staring at the distraught girl, it was clear that Keiko meant something to her. "Keiko-chan was my friend. Please don't dishonor her memory by fighting at her funeral." Her eyes dropped and fresh tears followed the path on the woman's countenance. Her voice lowered, but everyone present heard the quiver at the end of her voice. "Please."_

_Yusuke clenched his jaws shut, eyes growing moist at the heartfelt display of the woman's agony of losing a friend. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. The semi-circle parted. No one stopped him as he walked off, the woman's cry reverberating in his mind as a drop of tear slid down his face._

_xxx_

His mind flashed, back to before everything had gone downhill; before Keiko's symptoms of illness became apparent. When they were just a pair of carefree couple with no life-threatening sickness to worry about.

_"Who's this?" he asked, picking up the picture frame with his hand. He eyed at the girl in the photo who had her arms around a younger version of Keiko with short hair. Both of them were smiling brightly at the camera._

_Keiko finished typing the last words of whatever she was typing, and then pulled her glasses below the bridge of her nose and look at him. There was this urge to kiss her, knowing that once upon a time when she realized that her vision was deteriorating and that she had to wear glasses, she was embarrassed and tried to hide the fact. When he found out and asked why, her answer was surprisingly cute._

"I feel old," _he recalled her saying, pink dusting her cheeks. She nervously fingered the glasses that she was caught trying to take off in a rush when he got home early and nearly dropped them on the ground._

_Yusuke swept her up in his arms just as he did last time and pressed his lips to hers, marveling how well they fit. He would never get tired of it._

_They parted after a moment and Keiko giving him a rebuking look. "I hope you didn't bother me just for that, young man," she said sternly, despite the small, upward curve that remained on her lips. "I told you not to bother me when I'm working."_

_"You didn't seem to mind last time," Yusuke said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. He leaned closer to Keiko._

_Keiko pushed his head away with a laugh and Yusuke pouted. "You don't love me anymore!"_

_She giggled some more, before finally saying, "I wouldn't put up with you if I don't. Now, what's wrong?"_

_Recalling why he got Keiko's attention in the first place, Yusuke held out the picture frame in his hand to Keiko. "Who's this?"_

_Keiko's eyes brightened as her gaze landed on the girl in the photo. "Botan. She's classmate from university and currently one of my employees. She's a nice girl, if not a little too insecure and lacking some confidence. She's a good worker and a nice person to go to for some girl time."_

_"Give me her whole life story while you're at it, would cha?" Yusuke said teasingly._

_Keiko looked at him, before shaking her head with a laugh. "Yes, yes. Go on being a lazy bum now. I still have work to do."_

xxx

Yusuke let out a breath, as his eyes refocused on Botan. Keiko said she was a good worker. _Could she help me? _Yusuke wondered.

Botan glanced back at him, before letting her head incline to a nod. "_Y_e_s," _she and Keiko said. Botan was answering to his question before: "You were at Keiko's funeral, weren't you?" Keiko was answering his inward musing.

For the first time since Keiko died, Yusuke let a smile slide across his face.

"Good," he said, picking up the binder on the ground and the scattered papers. He handed them to Botan. "Take care of these for me, would cha?"

Then, he turned and ran.

xxx

Botan stood there, stunned as her young boss ran off, leaving behind his binder and "_Thank you."_

xxx

Yusuke raced through the company, not caring about maintaining his boss-ly outer appearance or whatever they called it. He only had one goal in mind and he'd be damn if he didn't reach it.

Yusuke arrived at the company building's front door in a record of time, hands on his knees and panting as the board members stepped out of the elevator with a _ding. _Who would have thought he would be thankful for their gossipy personalities for once and whatever that possessed them to always stay behind, taking their sweet time with leaving after meetings. God knows Keiko complained about it often enough.

They all stopped walking and talking once they spotted him and boy, Yusuke was sure he was quite a sight. His suit, one of the ones that Keiko bought him, was all rumpled and his hair was flying everywhere from his running. Yusuke would have bothered to smooth it out, except his hair -_as stubborn as a mule,_ Keiko used to say, looking straight at him, _just_ _like you_ \- wouldn't stay down without gel.

"Three days," he said, not wasting any time. "Give me three days and I'll create a proposal that all of you would accept."

One of the board members stepped out, eyebrows raised mockingly and oh how Yusuke hate his face. Yusuke blanked his expression instead. "You had your chance, boy. It's done and over with. If you had something better, you should have presented that instead."

Yusuke gritted his teeth inwardly and forced himself to incline his head in acknowledgement. For Keiko. "That was my fault, yes, as a result of my inexperience. I would like to rectify the mistake, if only you would give me the chance to do so."

"Honest and logical. Not bad of an argument," an elderly woman said. She was one of the people that voted for his proposal. Yusuke thought of her as the type to give the younger generation a chance. "What do you think?" she asked, looking at the rest of the group.

"No," another snapped. "I've said he was too young since the beginning, and he had proved it today. What more can he do besides waste our time?"

"I agree," another stepped in.

"I say give him a chance," someone spoke up. Yusuke looked towards the guy who spoke and was surprised to find him to be the final guy who voted against his proposal. He turned to him. "Two days, kid," he said, and Yusuke's vein inwardly throbbed at being called 'kid' and 'boy'. "Can you do it?"

Their eyes met and there was definitely a challenge in the other's eyes. Yusuke straightened and met to gaze head on. "Yes," he said, confident.

The man nodded after a moment. "I look forward to it then," he said and walked away. The rest of the board members, after a beat of hesitation, followed.

The matter was settled.

xxx

Two days of hard work later with Botan, their revised proposal was presented. It passed with flying colors, with a mark of 7:0 in favor of him.

xxx

People had taken a habit of stopping whatever they were doing to surreptitiously or not-so-surreptitiously stare at him as he passed and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why.

"Did you know what they thought of you when it was announced that you were to replace Keiko-chan?" Botan asked, smiling at him in amusement at his question. The woman had lost her tenseness around him as they worked together on the proposal.

"No," Yusuke said, swirling his chair around to face her. "What did they think?"

"Nothing," she said simply. "They didn't know anything about you," she explained. "And so they just watched and see. You didn't do much in those first few weeks of taking over, so they didn't think much of you. They didn't know how you landed this spot and neither did me. We thought you were only going to be a boss in name and cash in all the profits you get from us."

Botan smiled happily at him as she continued. "But then, on that day, you were seen running through the company."

Yusuke snorted in reply, recalling. "What? Were they like, ugh, how I wish I have a dignified boss instead? Because I'm telling you, I gave up on that after the first three weeks. Didn't work out that well for me. So stifling."

Botan shook her head at his response. "No. You gained respect on that day, Yusuke, without realizing."

Yusuke sat up in his seat, confused. "Why respect?"

"Because you are willing to do so much for the company. You are just like us. You work your ass- opps," Botan giggled. "That wasn't such a lady-like word, now, was it? You do so much for the company, willing to start from the scratch and work with no name employees like me."

"You do good work," Yusuke said with a shrug. "That's all I care about."

"That's exactly what they like about you, Yusuke," Botan said, crossing her legs. "You give them a chance. Keiko-chan tries, but to be a boss of a company at the age of twenty-six and continue on..." _for only four years_, remained unspoken. Botan shrugged, tugging the smile that faded slightly back on. "She had to give up some control, even if she gets to decide major decisions, and the board members are all rich enough to support the company. But they are also old fashion in the sense that they only look at people's resume to decide who gets chosen for project. Lots of people who have the mind but not enough of a pretty resume get passed over then. It's different with you, mostly because..." She smiled sheepishly when she realized what she was implying.

It was Yusuke's turn to shrug then. "I know I don't have the best education, but Keiko taught me stuff, ya know?" The corner of his lips lifted. It was a little fond, a little reminiscence as he continued, "'specially since I'm usually the one who mess up her carefully planned schedule."

"About that..." Botan leaned in conspiratorially. "Just what was your relationship with Keiko-chan? No one to this day knows why she willed the company to you."

The light in Yusuke's eyes faded a little and Botan regretted ever asking, wondering if she crossed the line. It had been five months, after all.

But then Yusuke looked up, to something _\- or someone,_ a part of Botan whispered, and a nostalgic voice drifted to her ears after a beat as he answered, "She was my lover."

xxx

He supposed it was impossible to keep their status a secret for long, considering the fact that Keiko had also willed her apartment to him and a little asking around their neighbors would tell people he had lived there long before Keiko's demise. After that, it wasn't hard to put one and one together.

"What was your relationship with Yukimaru-san?"

"Why were you living together with Yukimaru-san?"

"Is it true that you were Yukimaru-san's lover?"

"How long have you been together?"

"Was your status as her lover the reason why she willed her company to you?"

The media went crazy when Keiko, one of the youngest business women on the playing field, 'suddenly' died and it was crazier when it was announced that Yusuke would take over the company.

This 'scandal,' as that was how many people saw it, took the cake. They were having a fucking blast, because oh ho, **Thirty years old Yukimaru Keiko, recently deceased famed businesswoman, had a scandalous relationship with Urameshi Yusuke, successor of her company and a boy seven years her junior?!**

The media went wild, even more than when Keiko passed away. For that, Yusuke hated them, although...

_It's human nature, isn't it?_

Yusuke watched the Yusuke on the screen calmly got off his motorcycle in front of his company and nonchalantly walked away from the mass that was shoving microphones at his face, not responding to any of the questions. The last thing he saw was the company's security guards rushing forward to prevent them from mobbing him and his motorcycle, before Yusuke turned off the TV with a press of a button.

_Fuck __them_, Yusuke thought, falling chest down against the coach in his office. He hugged the pillow to his chest and closed his eyes.

xxx

Yusuke picked up his personal cell phone as it went off. "Hello?" he said, inwardly wondering who it was. A familiar voice that he hadn't heard in a while echoed back to him. His eyes widen slightly, stopping all his attempt at making pasta. "Kurama?"

"Yusuke," Kurama greeted, his voice still as warm as ever. "How are you?"

"Fine, considering everything that had happened," Yusuke said, going for casual and succeeding half-way. "How 'bout you?" he asked, before Kurama could give him the half-hearted consolation that everyone gave.

There was a pause, probably since Yusuke thwarted the consolation that Kurama was about to give. But bless Kurama, being the mind reader that he always was, thankfully understood and backed off.

"I'm well, thank you for asking," Kurama said. "I just returned to Japan yesterday. Would you like to meet with me tonight?"

"Meeting another man behind Hiei's back, Kurama?" Yusuke said with a fake gasp of horror. "Didn't know you had it in you."

Kurama chuckled slightly. "Nice to hear your humor is still with you, Yusuke. So, your answer?"

"Sure," Yusuke said. "Come up to my apartment. I just started making pasta. I have enough to make an extra serving."

"Alright. I'll see you in an hour."

xxx

"So," Yusuke said as he set the two bowls of pasta onto the table. He flopped down onto the couch and deftly reached for the remote. Flipping through the channels, he finally settled on one playing a drama with an actress he could vaguely recognize. "What's up, good 'ol friend?"

Kurama chuckled as he sat beside Yusuke with his usual grace and reached for his bowl of pasta. Yusuke muttered a thanks as Kurama passed him one of the two pairs of chopsticks he was holding on to. "Can't I visit you without anything being 'up'?"

Yusuke crossed his legs and answered in that blunt way of his. "Sure, but that's not the case this time, is it?"

Kurama smiled in amusement. His friend had too great of an instinct sometimes. That doesn't mean he needed to cave just yet, however. "Don't you think it's interesting how we are conversing with questions only?"

Yusuke stopped shoveling food in his mouth for a moment and chewed thoughtfully, no doubt recalling their conversation again. He grinned as he realized what Kurama noted was true. "It is interesting, isn't it?" he said, carefully biting on his words to make it a question.

Kurama's smile widened. The game was on. "Surely, you experienced more interesting things than this?" he said, hinting at the fact that Yusuke unwittingly became the boss of one of the most successful company in Japan.

Yusuke paused at those words, before his lips shifted to a pout. He opened his mouth to speak, before scrunching up his face in concentration to form whatever he wanted to say into a question. Kurama couldn't help but be a little disappointed, yet amused by Yusuke's response.

"Don't you think that was cheap, to use a sentence that could be both a statement and a question depending on the tone?"

"No?" Kurama said in reply, purposely emphasizing on the questioning tone at the end. He wanted information regarding business, yet he enjoyed this friendly competition. Kurama was unable to stop smiling as he watched Yusuke scowl at that fact that he said something that could be taken as a statement or a question again.

"Do you know that sometimes you are so infuriating?" Yusuke asked, the question coming along more smoothly since it was rather blunt. It was more of his style.

"No?" Kurama chuckled, before saying in a little more serious manner, "Do you realize that you are avoiding my questions?" _regarding business?_

Yusuke smirked. "Do you think I'm doing that on purpose?"

"Why don't you answer that question for me?"

"Answering would require me to say a statement instead of a question, don't you think?" Yusuke's sparkling eyes met Kurama's and conveyed what was left unspoken.

_If you purposely lose this game, I would answer your questions._

Kurama would have felt annoyance at the face of this wit, especially since this concerned his work, if Yusuke wasn't only being playful. He had a feeling Yusuke hadn't had much fun in a while, not since his lover Yukimaru's death. And Kurama knew for a fact that he was her lover, since he had people verify the information with various sources.

There was a sense of guilt gnawing at him now, since he hadn't been there to support his friend in his time of need. Yes, he didn't know that Yusuke had lost a lover at the time of Yukimaru's death, but it didn't change the truth that he had left Yusuke to struggle alone to recover from the death of a loved one. And now that he knew, he came not to comfort Yusuke as a friend, but to meet Yusuke as a businessman.

Yusuke knew. Kurama had no doubt about it as his eyes fell onto Yusuke, and yet Yusuke smiled genuinely as he greeted Kurama at the door.

"You are one of a kind, Yusuke..." Kurama said, and he watched as Yusuke raised an eyebrow at his statement.

_Ditching the game for work already?_ it seemed to ask.

"...did you know?" Kurama finished with a chuckle. Yusuke never wanted him to forfeit the game. Not like that.

Yusuke let out a frustrated noise, even as a happy smile spread across his face. "Why would you ever think I don't know, Kurama?" he said, purposely sounding arrogant.

Kurama smiled and for once in a long time decided to hold off work for a while. _There's little we wouldn't do for you, did you know, Yusuke? _he thought as he looked at his friend. However much of a troublemaker, anyone who bothered to look beneath his delinquent surface would see how rare of a loyal friend Yusuke was.

"What have you been doing lately?" Kurama asked, and he knew Yusuke was surprised that he gave up on business so quickly.

"Do you realize how surprise I am?" Yusuke asked bluntly with the brief shake of his head and a small laugh. He ate a mouthful of pasta, before saying, "Since you are so keen to know about my life, Kurama," Kurama rolled his eyes exaggeratedly at Yusuke's theatric, and he grinned in reply, before pointing at Kurama with his chopsticks dramatically, "should I tell you about what I've been through?"

"Why not?" Kurama said smoothly. He could win this game, Kurama knew. Yusuke was faring okay so far, but Kurama had always been better at words games. If Kurama left it like that, Yusuke would be hard-pressed to continue conversing with questions. Then Yusuke would lose the game and Kurama would then be free to ask business related questions, with Yusuke answering properly. Yet as Kurama's eyes met Yusuke's, there was something in his brown eyes that prompted him to say, "tell me."

Surprise flashed across Yusuke's face. Then a brilliant smile, wider than any other that Yusuke had so far shown him, curved his lips.

In face of the smile, Kurama knew he didn't make a mistake.

As Yusuke told Kurama about the troubles he had with the company he had inherited from Keiko without prompting, thereby giving Kurama what he wanted to know even though Yusuke knew Kurama wasn't pushing him to give up the information anymore, Kurama felt like he passed some kind of test.

xxx

"So," Yusuke said after he was pretty much done relaying what happened from inheriting Keiko's company to the present time, glancing over at Kurama. "What do you think?"

"I think," Kurama said slowly as his gaze fell onto Yusuke, "you are an incredibly lucky and determined man with a surprisingly amount of business potential. If you choose to nurture that potential like you have been doing now, I think you would be marvelous businessman in the future." He paused for a moment, before saying, "I think Yukimaru-san has chosen her successor wisely."

Yusuke stared at Kurama blankly, stunned, like he hadn't quite registered what Kurama has said. Then his head dropped so his face was shielded from view and in a shaky voice, so unlike the normally confident Yusuke, he joked with an equally shaky laugh, "Damn, Kurama. Flattery gets you nowhere, you know."

Kurama politely looked away, out of respect when a small area of the couch's surface in front of Yusuke darkened with each silent plop of falling tears. "Fuck," Yusuke said, his voice choked with emotions. "Kurama," he called.

Kurama's body turned back towards Yusuke of its own accord at sound of the pain and _hope_ in his friend's voice. Yusuke's head was up and Kurama could see the trial the tears paved down Yusuke's countenance. "Do you...do you really think I did good?" he asked. "That I-" Yusuke choked on his words and seemed to be unable to finish.

At that point, he could no longer remain up straight. He folded into himself, and with his arms wrapped around his own waist, forehead and knee against the couch and body facing Kurama, it looked as though he was begging Kurama to give him the answer that he sought. His voice rose along with his emotional state as he finished, "_...didn't fail Keiko?_"

"Oh Yusuke." Kurama moved at once and embraced his sobbing friend. Yusuke's body was shaking terribly hard and Kurama wondered with dread how long had that question been on Yusuke's mind, plaguing him as he acted as the boss of Yukimaru-san's company? Did he fear he was doing something wrong, that he was failing his lover with every action he took, bringing down the company that his loved one put so much care into with his own two hands?

Kurama's heart ached for his friend's sake at the thought, before turning his berating thoughts inward. How could he have not visited sooner, when his friend was struggling so much? Yusuke was laughing as he retold his story and recounted his mistakes, but at the time of the event, did he punch the wall in frustration when there were things he did not understand and needed someone to guide him? Did he shed tears of helplessness as he struggled to take care of the company his lover left to him with no result?

Yes, Kurama knew the answer was.

"No," he said aloud, answering Yusuke's question. "You didn't fail Yukimaru-san." His arms tightened around his shaking friend. "You didn't."

Upon hearing that, Yusuke let out a final sob and an unseen tension was released.

xxx

Yusuke let out a breath as his eyes finally fell on to the slab of stone. "Hey, Keiko," Yusuke said softly as he slowly brought his hand to the grave. It was cool to the touch, not at all like the warmth living humans emit. "Did cha miss me?"

There was no response.

Yusuke laughed softly, hollowly. He bent down so one of his knees was against the moist soil from last night's rain, not caring if it was going to dirty his expensive suit. He paid it no mind. "I missed you," he admitted, eyes on the characters of her name, unseeing. "Sorry for not coming sooner. Busy recently, with your company and everything."

There was a beat of silence.

"Sorry," Yusuke said, like there was actually a response to his former statement. "I lied. I could have come to see you sooner. You know better than anyone that if I really wanted to, I would have done it." He paused. "I didn't."

Silence.

"I didn't want to come, Keiko," Yusuke spilled, his voice monotone throughout like he was speaking of someone else's life. "I don't want to be reminded that you're dead. Kurama said it'll do me some good if I came though, so here I am. Are you pissed at me?"

There was no reply.

"I forgot to bring you flowers," Yusuke said. "I'll bring some next time, alright?"

Yusuke took a deep breath, before forging on. "Your company is fine, I think. I think you taught me well and stuff. I screwed up a little, but that was fixed."

Yusuke's gaze focused on Keiko's name again and his fingers gently brushed over them. His tone softened to something warm while hardening with determination. "I'll keep it going, Keiko," he said. Conviction filled his eyes. "That's my promise to you."

He leaned forward, slowly, and pressed his lips lightly to the first character of Keiko's name. His eyes fluttered closed and as the rain fell lightly around him, he could feel a slight, familiar pressure against his forehead.

Yusuke let out a sigh of content, not willing to move just yet. When he did and opened his eyes, a sad smile crossed his face as he was faced with reality.

There was no one there.

xxx

Yusuke stepped through the cemetery gates, not exactly paying attention until he nearly bumped into another person.

"S'rry," Yusuke murmured, narrowly dodging the other last second. Yusuke made a move to walk away when he felt a tug at his arm.

Yusuke's eyes darted up, following the appendage to its origin. It belonged to a man with long hair. The older man smiled kindly at him. "Are you alright?" he asked. He stepped forward into Yusuke's space bubble, and Yusuke would have minded except the other man was only trying to shield him from the rain with his umbrella.

Yusuke gazed at the other man's face for a moment, uncomprehendingly, until he finally shook his head. He tugged his own arm back. "'m fine," he said. "Don't mind me."

Yusuke stumbled a step as he tried to walk away. The other man caught him. "You're drenched," the man said.

"'m fine," Yusuke murmured again.

"I think not," the other man said. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" When Yusuke didn't reply, he added. "I know a coffee shop in the area."

At the mention, Yusuke finally beginning to feel the cold settling in and noticed the goose bumps on his flesh. He hesitated for a moment, considering. Finally, he nodded warily. "If it's not too much trouble," he said politely.

The long haired man smiled.

* * *

Anyone can guess who this long haired man is? Huge hint: he's definitely canon.

Thank you for reading and I'm excited to hear what you think about this. Anyone reading my other stories (_Tangled Strings of Red_ and _Stranger with a Gun_), know that I'm still writing the chapters for them and that they'll be posted soon.

P.S. If you like Yusuke/Keiko, would you please consider looking at another story of mine called A Day at Yoshiwara? It's been up for a while and it's not getting sort of feedback.


	2. Yomi

Yusuke wrapped his hand around the paper cup, relishing in the warmth it emitted. He leaned in and inhaled, a half smile forming on his face at the rich smell. Keiko loved the smell of coffee.

"Do you feel better?" a voice asked. Yusuke's gaze shifted upwards to the man from before.

Yusuke gave him a half-smile. "Yeah," he replied as the man slipped into the chair across from his table. "Thanks."

The other man smiled in reply. "That's a relief to hear," he said.

The two shared a companionable silence between them, punctured by the minute sound of occasional sips of drinks until a tinkle of a bell sounded. Yusuke glanced over as another drenched customer came through the door. He was heading towards their general direction, until a worker moved to intercept him. The worker, a girl of nineteen maybe, smiled apologetically at the customer and gestured to the carpeted floor of their area and the customer's drenched clothes. Then she waved to the other side, where the floor was not covered, and the customer nodded understandingly and headed to the other direction.

Yusuke blinked at the interaction and looked down at himself, realizing he himself was probably as drenched, if not more than, the customer. "Crap," he said, standing, the relaxing atmosphere around them evaporating. "Sorry," he said as he slipped off the seat. A quick glance told him the carpeted floor where he was previously sitting had a dark puddle and the seat where he sat was covered with droplets of water.

He reached for his coffee next, wrapping his hand around it. But before he could pull it closer to him, another hand covered his own. Yusuke's eyes found the long haired man's, before shifting to the hand that was on his. The other man, realizing, smiled apologetically and withdrew his hand. Yusuke was free to walk away then, but he was pinned by the other's gaze.

"It's alright," the other man said. "Please sit back down. I know the owner. Besides, I was the one who led you here."

Yusuke shook his head. "Nah," he said, finally tugging his drink towards him. "I should go."

Yusuke was stopped by a hand. "Please," the other man said. "Don't leave just yet because of this. If you feel bad for that," the man said, gesturing to the mini puddle. The corner of his lips quirked as his hand swept to the side across from Yusuke sat, where there was a much smaller, yet there puddle as well. His smiling eyes met Yusuke's, "I'm guilty as well."

Yusuke's lips unwittingly quirked at those words. "I see," he said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Thanks for alleviating my guilt," Yusuke said, "but I really should go. I stayed out too long and my phone is out of battery. I imagine my friends are worrying quite a bit." Here, he was thinking of Botan, the worrywart.

The other man nodded in acceptance at those words and slowly lowered his arms. "Alright. I won't hold you here any longer then. It is nice meeting you, Mr..."

"Yusuke," Yusuke supplied. "Just Yusuke."

A smile spread across the other man's face at those words as he extended a hand out, handshake style.

"It is nice meeting you, Yusuke," the other man said.

Yusuke shifted the coffee from his right hand to left and extended his freed hand out to meet the long haired man's. "Likewise, Mr..."

The other man smiled. "Please call me Yomi."

"Yomi," Yusuke finished, smiling back at the other man. They released each other's hand after a beat. "Well," Yusuke spoke after a moment, shoving a hand into his pocket. "Bye, I guess."

Yomi nodded in farewell and Yusuke walked away with the coffee in hand until he realized something. He turned back, noting Yomi's surprise with amusement. "Thanks for the coffee," Yusuke called back, raising the cup in question.

Yomi brought his own cup up, like they were doing a toast, and a genuine grin spread across Yusuke's face. He raised his own cup up once more, nodded in farewell and left, and the grin remained on his face for the rest of the day.

xxx

"I don't want to go," Yusuke hissed, walking away from Botan. Botan jogged up to him and caught up, standing in front of him to block his way.

"Aw, come on, Yusuke," she implored. "It'll be fun!"

"Clubbing?" he said, with the shake of his head. "No thanks. Got a lot of work to do."

He tried to walk around Botan again, but she stayed firmly in place and put her hands on her hips.

"Yusuke, stop doing work for a minute," she said, "and just _relax_. It'll be good for you and fun, I promise. It's been a while since you've done something not work related, anyway, right? Why not take this chance now?"

Yusuke looked at her for a moment, before running a hand through his hair with a sigh. "...Would you believe me if I tell you I forgot how clubbing's like?"

Botan stared at Yusuke, surprised. "Seriously?" At Yusuke's earnest nod, she spluttered. "B-but, you're so _young._ What do you do then?"

Yusuke's lips curled. "I used to go when I was fifteen or so" - Botan gave Yusuke a look that said all that was needed about what she thought of fake IDs -"but I stopped after I met Keiko, since she didn't like me going home smelling like smoke and alcohol."

"Oh - Wait, fifteen?!" Botan exclaimed.

Yusuke gave her an amused smile. "I met her when I was fifteen, yeah. Officially got together when I was sixteen and her twenty-three."

"Wow," Botan said. "I mean I knew but I never thought..." She appeared to have lost all her words.

Yusuke gave her a casual shrug. "The age difference never really bothered me, ya know, although I know it bothered Keiko a bit."

"How did you guys even, like... meet?" Botan asked. "I mean, you two are so different that if I didn't know you were together, I would have been surprised that you two even knew each other."

"It was a damsel-in-distress thing," Yusuke explained. "She was in a hurry to go home at night and took a shortcut through the bad part of town. These guys found her and I was just passing by. I took them on and managed to scare them off, but I got pretty beaten up as well. She brought me back to her apartment and took care of my injuries."

"How did you two fall in love then?" Botan questioned, curiosity palpable in her voice.

Yusuke looked at her, Keiko's face replacing Botan's for a moment, before bonking her head. "Mind your own business, girl," he said, turning away.

In the end, Yusuke ended up agreeing to go clubbing to get Botan off his case.

xxx

Music blared out from god-knows-where, ricocheting off the walls and into Yusuke's ears like an annoying flea. The whole room was full of every shade of color and people writhing against each other. Once upon a time, Yusuke would have grinned at that and joined the crowd. Now he only looked on and shifted back into his seat, still nursing his first drink after an hour or so at the dance club.

"C'mon," Botan shouted, attempting to pull him out to the dance floor for the umpteenth time. A wide grin was on her face.

Once again, Yusuke waved her off and she eventually went with a pout. Glancing in the direction she had gone and not seeing Botan in sight, Yusuke finally slid out of his seat. Abandoning his drink, he headed towards the bar instead, squeezing through jumping bodies and wildly flinging arms. Might as well make himself scarce so Botan wouldn't bother with the invitations anymore.

A few people called out to him on the way, attempting to draw him onto the dance floor, but a quick flash of an apologetic grin ensured no offense and smoothly executed moves of side-stepping others ensured he was lost in the sea of bodies before anyone could seriously attempted to pursue him.

By the time he made it to the side bar, the grin on his face didn't take as much effort to maintain and he was beginning to feel a little more... young, he supposed. Unburdened. He wondered if it was his alcoholic drink that was finally taking effect or it was just the mood getting to him. Either way, he was more relaxed than he was in months. Maybe he would dance later. Haven't done that for a long while.

Yusuke got himself seated at the stool and nodded cordially at the bartender when a drink finally came in mind. The bartender indicated in just a moment and Yusuke, noticing the other customers around, nodded understanding in reply. For that, Yusuke got a sweet smile with apparent dimples.

Yusuke's eyes roamed briefly over the smiling bartender, noting he was handsome, bordering pretty. Yusuke licked his lips, feeling desire slowly growing within him. So intent he was with watching the bartender as he finally freed himself and made his way towards Yusuke with that same sweet smile, Yusuke started when a hand suddenly found its way at Yusuke's side. Yusuke reluctantly broke his eye contact with the bartender and looked up, eyes meeting a familiar looking face. "Who-?"

The other guy smiled, leaning closer to him, but not close enough to warrant Yusuke to tell the guy to bugger off. The smile triggered a memory, something about rain, and the voice just completed the puzzle. "May I get the honor to buy you something, Mr. Yusuke?"

A smile rose to Yusuke's face, unbidden. "Yes, you may, Mr. Yomi."

Yomi seated himself beside Yusuke. "Please, call me Yomi."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Hypocrite. I told you to call me Yusuke too, ya know?"

Yomi let out a chuckle. "I apologize. Let this drink be on me then."

Yusuke grinned. "That's two drinks you owe me then."

"How horrifying," Yomi murmured, leaning a tad closer. "I must rectify this immediately." Yomi made eye contact with the same bartender Yusuke was eyeing at earlier and the bartender came, glancing from Yusuke to Yomi.

A grimace made its way to Yusuke's face, followed by the same apologetic grin he had been giving everyone. Only this time, he did feel a little bad. He wouldn't have led the guy on if only he knew.

A look of annoyance appeared on the guy's face, probably thinking Yusuke was with Yomi and Yusuke still had the gall to lead him on, since he wasn't close enough to hear their conversation over the loud music. Yusuke made a mental note to give the guy double the tip.

When he finally slid whatever drink Yomi ordered to them, Yusuke slipped the bartender some tip and mouthed 'sorry' before taking the drinks and leading Yomi off to the side. Taking a sip of his drink, Yusuke hummed in appreciation as warmth slid down his throat. "Not bad," Yusuke said with a grin.

Yomi smiled back at him, before appearing bemused as Yusuke grasped his hand.

"Now," Yusuke said, regaining the distance, or lack-of-therefore, between them before they had moved away. "How well can you dance?"

"Not too well," Yomi admitted with a laugh.

Yusuke grinned back at him. "How lucky of you to have a willing teacher then," he said as he took Yomi's drink off of his hand. Yomi let go of it without much of a fight.

A sudden movement had Yomi's head tipped down against the junction of Yusuke's neck, his warm breath and raven hair brushing against Yusuke's bare skin with every breath he took. Yusuke couldn't tell if it was due to the crowd or was it deliberate. "Yes," he murmured, causing every hair and a certain body part to rise in alertness at his husky voice. "Very lucky indeed."

Yusuke licked his suddenly dry lips and tilted his head so his mouth was against the shell of Yomi's ear. "Back to two drinks," he managed out, as he grabbed Yomi's hips. Yomi started and took a step back, onto the dance floor.

Yusuke followed and pressed, and as Yomi's lips descended onto Yusuke's neck, Yusuke rolled his hips and just feel and let himself be swallowed by the crowd.

xxx

Yusuke woke up in a generic room without a headache and with a very warm body next to him. It still took him a moment to recall and when he did, a reluctant smile tugged at his face. He propped himself up with an arm and glanced at Yomi slumbering beside him. He hadn't meant to sleep with him, although he would be lying if he said he didn't find Yomi hot the first time he had met him. Even in his depressed mood at the time, Yusuke had recognized that much.

Now what, Yusuke found himself wondering. He could say it was a one night stand and leave it at that, he supposed, but some parts within him resisted the thought. Yomi was a guy surprisingly easy to be with, surprising because Yusuke didn't think he could be with anyone, not after Keiko-

And right on cue, there was that throbbing pain at his chest at mention of Keiko. It wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be though, and Yusuke found himself wondering if that was a sign of some sort.

With a sigh, Yusuke rolled off the bed and went on an impromptu hunt for his clothes. No need to think about things he couldn't exactly control.

Yusuke was in the middle of wearing his t-shirt when he felt a pair of eyes on him. Deftly tugging the shirt completely down, Yusuke found Yomi staring at him with an indescribable look in his eyes.

"Heya," Yusuke said, never the one to stay silent too long.

"You're leaving?" Yomi asked, uncharacteristically skipping the pleasantries. His long hair was an adorable mess.

Yusuke grinned slightly and moved forward, displaying more confidence than he had when he smoothed Yomi's hair back. "It's ten already, in case you didn't notice."

Yomi ignored the statement and touched the hand Yusuke had in his hair. Sliding it down and turning his face towards it, Yomi pressed his lips against Yusuke's palm. "I don't do one night stands, Yusuke," he murmured against his palm, sharp eyes looking right at Yusuke.

Yusuke hesitated for a moment, before sliding his hand away from Yomi. Surprise flashed across Yomi's countenance as Yusuke captured his chin. Tilting his head, Yusuke leaned in and thoroughly kissed Yomi. They parted after a long while, both parties panting. "Good," Yusuke said, once again summoning courage he didn't feel to bring his eyes to meet Yomi's. "I don't either."

xxx

"Yomi," Yusuke murmured, surprised to see the man standing next to his motorcycle five days after their parting from the hotel room.

Yomi smiled and leaned in to kiss the corner of Yusuke's mouth. Yusuke shifted, not quite used to public displays of affection. "How are you, Yusuke?"

"Pretty good," Yusuke said with a small smile. "Just gonna go grab lunch. Wanna go with me?"

"Yes, please," Yomi said. "And might I recommend a place for lunch?"

Yusuke chuckled a little at Yomi's formal speech, before nodding. "Sure, why not? Do you know the owner of this restaurant too?"

Yomi gave him a mild reproaching look. "I don't know _that _many people, Yusuke."

Yusuke snickered as he swung his leg over his motorcycle. "Sure," Yusuke said, as unconvincingly as he could. He chuckled again at the look Yomi gave him.

"Where are you going?" Yomi asked, stilling Yusuke as he made a move to start his bike. Yusuke gave Yomi a look that said _what do you think? _in the nicest way possible. "You're not riding the bike," Yomi stated.

Yusuke gave him a scandalized looked, placed one hand on his hip and _looked _at Yomi. Yomi's eyes wouldn't meet Yusuke's and _ha!_ Yusuke learned that trick from Keiko. "Why not?" Yusuke finally asked, trying to be understanding.

Yomi took a little deep breath and gestured to the car parked beside the motorcycle. "We can get there in my car instead," he settled with saying.

Yusuke's eyebrow twitched. "What's wrong with my motorcycle?" he asked and there Yomi went with the eye avoiding thing again. An inkling of an idea tickled the back of Yusuke's mind. "We can get there on my motorcycle instead," Yusuke suggested, watching Yomi intently.

"Absolutely not!" was the immediate response. Yomi's eyebrow twitched promptly after, a tell-tale sign that he hadn't meant to blurt that out.

Yusuke's mouth quirked because he then _knew _and he found the idea adorable. "You're afraid of riding a motorcycle, aren't you?"

"I'm not," Yomi emphasized, his tone a little too tight.

Yusuke couldn't resist the teasing. He tugged at Yomi's arm. "You have no problem going to that restaurant of yours on my bike then, right?"

Yomi snatched his hand back as though he was burned and at the knowing look Yusuke was giving him, he sighed, giving up on pretending. "Can we just go get lunch, Yusuke?" Yomi said, running a hand through his hair.

"Yup," Yusuke answered back cheerfully, getting off his motorcycle. He could see Yomi's tense shoulders relaxing and for a moment, he reconsidered. But no. Yusuke was never a really nice bastard and he loved his motorcycle too much.

Yusuke turned to face his bike and opened his seat. Digging out his rarely used helmet, Yusuke threw it to Yomi. Yusuke chuckled at Yomi's shocked expression as he caught it. "Yusuke..." he said, like he was tired. Nearly pleading.

Yusuke walked up to him, the smile still on his face, and took the helmet from his hands. Yomi let it go all too gladly, only to pale as Yusuke began to adjust it. "I'm not getting on your bike," Yomi said, sounding stern.

"Yes, you are," Yusuke replied in the same tone. He didn't know if he was overstepping any line, but damn if he wasn't going to try to get Yomi over his irrational fear. Keiko had the same problem at the beginning and she was fine with it soon afterwards. "C'mon," he said. "Man up, it's not bad."

Yomi shook his head. "Insulting my masculinity isn't going to convince me."

Yusuke tsked in annoyance. "Do you want me to starve?"

"We won't have this problem if you would just reasonably get into my car."

"Hell no," Yusuke said, moving closer to Yomi with the helmet in hand. Yomi gave him a warning look that said _stay right where you are and get that thing away from me. _Yusuke held back his annoyance and tried from another angle. He turned and hung the helmet by the straps on the motorcycle's handle for a moment.

Then, Yusuke walked straight to Yomi, brought his hand behind Yomi's head and sent his lips crashing onto Yusuke's. Yusuke employed every skill he had in his disposal and some, before pulling away. Yomi's lips followed his for a moment, before stilling. "Please," Yusuke said, chocolate eyes gazing into Yomi's and warm breath brushing against Yomi's lips.

Yomi's Adam's apple moved several of times, indicating his attempt to speak, but nothing came out. Finally, he leaned forward and kissed Yusuke again, surprising Yusuke into taking two steps back. Yusuke found himself sitting on bike with Yomi's hand against his back to prevent him from falling. In the back of his mind that was not turning into mush in face of Yomi's formidable kissing skills, Yusuke thanked god that his bike was sturdy. It would have been embarrassing for him to fall and topple over his bike, not to mention a terrible way to break the mood.

The first thing Yusuke did once their lips unlatched from each other was breath, because fuck him if Yomi didn't leave him all breathless and... hot. Yusuke shifted uncomfortably in his seat, well aware of the tent in his pants. He looked up to find Yomi with that glazed look in his eyes as well. "So," Yusuke said, bringing Yomi's attention to him. "Your car?"

Yomi nodded wordlessly and Yusuke let out a yelp as he was unceremoniously lifted from his seat by Yomi's arms. All he was paying attention to was the way his crotch was pressed against Yomi and the next thing he knew, he was on his back in the car with Yomi towering over him. Yusuke impatiently tugged Yomi down to close the distance between them and then they were continuing where they left off.

xxx

In the end, Yusuke's ass was too sore to sit on his motorcycle, so they went to the restaurant in Yomi's car after all. Damn Yomi and his smug smile, although the food _was _really good.

xxx

Roses were sent to him two weeks later, with chocolate and a card that said _Would you please meet with me at Sunset Park at 7:00 pm? - Y_

A grin threatened to split his face as he took out his phone and hit a number. It was picked up on the first ring. "Yes, you dork."

"...dork, Yusuke?"

"Yes," Yusuke said with a laugh. "Who the hell send flowers and chocolate nowadays? That's such an old trick."

"It worked on you, didn't it?" Yomi replied, a smile evident in his voice. "And I was under the impression that it was romantic."

"Yes, yes," Yusuke replied, grinning. "What kind of surprise would you have for me, I wonder?"

"That's for you to find out tonight, Yusuke," came the soft reply.

Yusuke's grin softened to a smile. "Looking forward to tonight then, although you really shouldn't get my expectations too high."

"I'll try my best to meet it."

"Go over it, you idiot."

"Now who's setting their expectations too high?" Yomi teased.

Yusuke chuckled. "Dork," Yusuke retorted.

"You shouldn't use names without knowing what they mean, Yusuke."

"I only used two on you: idiot and dork. I couldva used honey and snuggly bun, ya know."

A chuckle came through. "Did you know dork has another meaning besides a social misfit?"

Yusuke blinked, curious. "What?"

Yomi softly whispered the answer. "Penis."

There was a moment of silence, before Yusuke _howled _with laughter. "Penis!?" he exclaimed. "Omg!"

"Yusuke," an amused voice called out, but Yusuke couldn't stop laughing in his seat.

"You know those penis games [1] kids play," Yusuke gasped out. "Dork, dork, dork, dork, dork."

"...pft."

It was undeniable that it was laughter that filtered through Yusuke's phone. Yusuke found himself laughing along and as they did, the distance between them dwindled.

Xxx

Yusuke sighed softly and leaned back against the tree trunk, careful to hold onto the branch he was sitting on so he wouldn't fall. He was so bored.

In his zeal, he finished his work as soon as he could and went to Sunset Park, only to realize he got there _too _early. He still had quite some time before Yomi would arrive. With no other thing to do, Yusuke leaned back and closed his eyes.

Xxx

_There was a lot of stumbling and a lot of pain. Fifteen year old Yusuke felt as though he was sleepwalking. He thought he heard someone let out a sigh of relief when he was dumped onto something soft - a couch, maybe- but then he wasn't sure._

_It's been a while since he had laid on something so fine._

_He woke up to find himself in a location he didn't recognize. No surprise there. He had been wandering around, getting people he knew to put up with him for a day or so ever since he became homeless three months ago. The pain he found himself in wasn't much of a shock either. He did have a tendency of getting into fights. What was surprising was the neat bandages around his wounds. He didn't remember buying bandages. He would have bought something for his empty stomach if he had the money instead._

_A quick look around told him the place was too fine, not shabby enough to be one of his friend's. It could have been the apartment of someone who picked him up at the club, but the clubs he went to were seedy and so were most of the people there. He was undressed, although only to the degree that was necessary to clean his wounds. He was on the couch and there was no naked body next to him. Not the usual happening._

_Yusuke sat up, pain going through him at the movement. Damn. He felt like shit. Did someone make him into a punching bag while he was asleep?_

_His eyes caught a photo at the far off wall. It was of a girl with brown hair and a soft smile. Oh. That's right. That was the stupid girl who decided it would be a good idea to walk through an alley way in the middle of the night._

_With a scoff, Yusuke stood and looked for the bathroom. He didn't give a damn about why the girl brought him here, but nature's callin'. He would figure something out later._

_He took a quick shower while he was at it, relishing in getting a week worth of accumulated dirt off. Too bad he had to step back in his dirty clothes afterwards._

_Yusuke dug through the fridge after the shower and found some egg and frozen stuff that only needed to be reheated to be eaten. There were some ramen packages, as well as some bread._

_He eyed at the bread and considered just taking some and run. That was the most plausible thing to do, really, except Yusuke hadn't eaten anything hot for over a week. Bread was all he had and he was sick of it by then._

_In the end, he didn't know what possessed him to take out a small pot - nice and shiny like it was rarely used - and made ramen with it. He also chopped up some ham and sausages and threw it into his pot of ramen. After eating, he made sure to wash all the things that he had used and put them back to where he first found them._

_He was about to leave then, but his conscious stopped him. After all, he did use someone else's home without their permission, didn't he? Even if said 'someone else' was the one who brought him home in the first place._

_He took a peek into the bedroom and found the girl there, still asleep and not stirring in the least despite the racket Yusuke made as he cooked. He considered her tired profile, the bags under her eyes and then at his own bandaged wounds, before releasing a sigh._

_Knowing he really shouldn't stay there too long, he popped some bread into the toaster and fried some eggs and sausages, before setting them onto a plate on the kitchen table. Then he left, not knowing that it wouldn't be the last time he came across that girl who he considered stupid in the beginning._

xxx

The sound of car tires woke Yusuke up.

Yusuke blinked, surprised at the memory that filtered through in his sleep. He glanced down to see Yomi getting out of his car, as regal looking as ever.

He was ambling towards the grassy area of the park then and when Yomi coincidentally stopped right below the tree Yusuke was in, still oblivious to Yusuke's presence as he looked around the park for him, how could Yusuke resist?

"Yomi!" Yusuke called, watching Yomi's head snap up in surprise, and that was all the warming Yusuke gave before he jumped.

He had actually aimed a little left of Yomi so he wouldn't land right on him. He knew Yomi wasn't exactly young and Yusuke may actually hurt him if he jumped right on top of him like that.

Yet. And yet when Yomi saw Yusuke was jumping out of the tree, instead of stumbling backward so Yusuke wouldn't land on him, Yomi moved forward. In the split second he had, he saw Yusuke was a little off on his jump and moved forward with all intention of catching him.

And catch he did and then it was Yusuke's turn to be surprised and worried as he collided with Yomi, causing the older man to fall on his back against the soft grass.

"Are you alright?!" Yusuke exclaimed as he scrambled off his lover. Or at least he tried. The arms Yomi had around him, the same arms that Yomi used to catch Yusuke, wouldn't let go.

Yomi's body began shaking then and Yusuke's worry continued to escalate until he looked into Yomi's face and found him laughing.

"You bastard!" Yusuke exclaimed, punching his lover's chest. Yomi let out a small 'ouch' that Yusuke ignored. "Don't do shit like that. You scared the crap out of me."

Yomi's eyes were bright and happy as they met Yusuke's. At that sight of that, Yusuke sagged, all fight leaving him. "Fuck," Yusuke murmured as he leaned against Yomi's chest.

He closed his eyes at the sound he found there. _Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump._

The indication that Yomi was undeniably alive. Not like the graph that was reduced to a straight line with a deafening 'deeeeeeeeee' as Keiko's heart stopped.

He was alive. Yusuke's grip on Yomi's white button-down tightened. He was here.

"Yusuke," Yomi's voice called, and it was so full of understanding and love that Yusuke almost didn't want to look up.

Yomi's finger found its way beneath Yusuke's chin, tipping it up so Yusuke's gaze would meet his.

"I'm alright, Yusuke," Yomi said earnestly. "If you jump, I _want _to be there to catch you."

Something within Yusuke's chest tightened at those words. "You got that line from that quote that was like if your friends jump off the bridge, don't jump with them and instead be there to catch them, didn't you?" Yusuke accused, trying and failing to sound annoyed.

Yomi smiled up at Yusuke. "You found out my dastardly plan, Yusuke," he 'admitted', eyes dancing with amusement. "Now what are you going to do?"

Yusuke looked at Yomi for a moment, Yomi's body splayed out beneath him. His hand slowly grasped the forearm of the hand that was tipping Yusuke's chin and held it in place. Yomi looked at him but made to stop him as he moved his head so Yomi's palm was sliding against Yusuke's face. Turning so his mouth was facing Yomi's hand, Yusuke lifted his gaze to Yomi's and held it as he deliberately pressed his lips to Yomi's palm.

Yusuke watched as Yomi's eyes widened slightly, recalling the gesture he himself made as he told Yusuke to choose to stay or go. "Stay with me?" Yusuke voiced, his tone and gaze both unfaltering yet somehow vulnerable.

There was a moment of stillness, before Yomi moved his arm away from Yusuke's grip. Yusuke let go without a question and his eyes didn't dart to Yomi's hand as it held the arm that previously gripped it in its hand. Yomi tugged it gently towards him and Yusuke let him with any resistance.

As Yomi's mouth moved to kiss Yusuke's palm, their eye contact was broken briefly. Yomi gently settled Yusuke's hand down, and as he reestablished their eye contact, he answered Yusuke's question with a "Yes," the corners of his mouth curved slightly up all the while.

_xxx_

_"How did you two fall in love then?"_

_"She gave me a home," was the truth Yusuke didn't explain at the time._

xxx

"Wanna come up?" Yusuke asked after a tense heart-beat.

Yomi's countenance shifted ever slightly as surprise appeared on his face. Yomi had brought Yusuke back to his home a few times, but Yusuke never, ever invited him up. This was a first.

A gentle smile curved Yomi's lips. "I would love to," said Yomi.

xxx

There was something interesting about how Yusuke appeared so awkward as he shuffled about in his own apartment, trying to make Yomi comfortable. But as much as it was amusing, Yomi preferred the usual confident Yusuke to the nervous one now.

"Come here," Yomi beckoned to Yusuke when Yusuke returned from refilling his tea for the fourth time in ten minutes. Yomi had only taken three sips within that span of time.

Yusuke grumbled something but obediently went to him. "You'll think it's your house by the way you lounge around," he grumbled, unceremoniously draping himself on top of Yomi's body. Yomi automatically wrapped an arm around him and shifted to find a more comfortable position with Yusuke still laying on him. Something, Yomi suspected it was a remote control, was digging into his back.

"Quiet moving," Yusuke hissed lowly, mouth dangerously close to Yomi's ear. Yomi stilled and Yusuke hummed in satisfaction, before pressing his nose in the crook of Yomi's neck. "Yomi," he whispered breathlessly, lips moving against his neck with every syllable.

Yomi froze, wanting to pull Yusuke off of him so Yomi could kiss him senseless, but held back with barely restrained anticipation. Yusuke was finally relaxing and he didn't want him to tense up again. He observed as tension slowly left Yusuke's body, leaving behind a boneless young man in his arms. It didn't take long before Yomi realized Yusuke, of all times, had chosen to fall asleep.

Yomi dropped his head with a laugh, resting his head on top of Yusuke's. Even in a moment of freedom and no restraint, Yomi noted he was instinctively careful enough to not jostle Yusuke awake. His self-deprecating smile softened around the edge as he gaze down at Yusuke, prone and so trusting.

"I admit defeat, Yusuke," Yomi said softly, planting a kiss on top of Yusuke's head. He held Yusuke a little closer to him, ignoring his manifestation of desire. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

xxx

_Ding, dong_, the doorbell sounded.

The weight and warmth on him rolled off, leaving him groping for them blindly in his sleep.

A kick at his stomach had his eyes shooting open in surprise.

"Getthedoor," Yusuke murmured incoherently, burying himself in to the coach.

Yomi would like to say he wasn't gaping at his lover, but that wouldn't be true. At last, Yomi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, straightening it out. He should be used to Yusuke's attitude by now, but something told him he would never be. That was what made Yusuke interesting, after all.

Yomi stood just as the doorbell rang again and a voice drifted in through the gaps of the door. "Yusuke, are you home?"

Yomi's hand, inches away from the doorknob, froze. That voice was undeniably familiar.

"It's Kurama," the voice on the other side said, unwittingly forcing Yomi to take a step back.

Why was Kurama here? He knew Kurama and Yusuke knew each other, but he never considered them to be close enough that Kurama would visit Yusuke without any prior announcement.

The doorbell rang again, followed by Yusuke's phone.

"Goddamn it, Yomi, just open the damn door!" Yusuke shouted, sounding considerably more awake and definitely disgruntled. Yomi panicked. Kurama undoubtedly heard his name from the other side of the door.

"Yusuke," Yomi called, turning, but it was too late.

Yusuke's ring tone was abruptly cut off as he picked up his phone.

"Kurama?" Yusuke spoke into the phone, slowly moving to a stand. "I'm awake now, no thanks to you. Huh? Wah? Who did I call just now? Erm." Yusuke sounded vaguely embarrassed, but also happy. "My lover. In fact, you can meet him soon, if only he would open the damn door." The last part was undoubtedly directed towards Yomi himself.

Yomi would have felt amused, if he couldn't so clearly see his world crashing down around him.

When Yomi still didn't make a move to open the door, and just soundlessly stared at Yusuke, Yusuke rolled his eyes and ambled towards him, phone in hand.

"Lazy bum," Yusuke murmured, a smile playing at his lips as he passed Yomi to get to the door, throwing a look at him. He directed his eyes to the phone as he listened to Kurama on the other side. "Huh? His name?"

"Why are you so focused on that?" Yusuke asked as he twisted the lock on the door.

Yomi found his hand on Yusuke's, stilling him. His pleading eyes met Yusuke's bemused ones.

"Yomi?" Yusuke asked softly, uncomprehending.

Yomi tried speaking, to explain everything with the two seconds that was allotted to him, but the choice was ultimately taken from him as the doorknob twisted open and Kurama stepped in from the other side, phone also held up to his ear. Yusuke's phone slipped out of his hand as Kurama's words registered to him and the clang that it made as it fell against the floor signified his world burning down.

* * *

[1] Penis games - in which one person says 'penis' in public and another person does the same, but at a louder volume. Whoever could say 'penis' the loudest without getting in trouble wins.


	3. Yusuke

"Say that again," Yusuke ordered, feeling _numb numb numb_ as he gazed at Yomi. He still had that pleading look on his face, begging Yusuke to let him to explain and even before Kurama repeated what he had said before, Yusuke already _knew._

"He's my boss, Yusuke," Kurama said softly, like he was trying to chop a man's head off and tear out his heart as gently as possible.

Yusuke found that he could barely breathe. It hurt like hell.

Kurama worked for another company. His -Keiko's- rival company, in fact.

Yusuke didn't mind because Kurama was brilliant and Yusuke never did like setting limits to his friends' lives. Yusuke already knew that Kurama worked for another company, and he didn't mind when Kurama sometimes try to prompt him for info. It was like a game with them.

Yomi never told him that he was the boss of a company. Yomi knew Yusuke was the boss of Keiko's company. He had to, when Yomi picked Yusuke up at the company's parking lot for lunch. It was impossible for him not to know when Yusuke's face was plastered all over the news the last few months for taking over Keiko's business.

Yomi knew the whole time and pretended to not know when he saw him at the cemetery. Did Yomi know he was going there too? Kurama was the one who told Yusuke to go visit Keiko, wasn't he?

Yomi was the one who approached him at the cemetery. He was the one who initiated conversation at the club. The one who made their one-night stand into something more. The one who went after Yusuke.

Was the time they spent together all a lie? Was it all so Yomi could use him?

Kurama warned Yusuke about it when he found out he inherited Keiko's company. Told him to be careful, people would show interest in him now that they knew he had a company, had connections and money. Yusuke put up his guard and fend off those so-called suitors pretty well for the first few months. He was too raw from Keiko's recent death to start another relationship anyway.

But then he met Yomi, who was at the right place at the right time, the one who saw Yusuke when he was most vulnerable after visiting Keiko. The one who extended a helping hand.

And like a fool, Yusuke took it without a single doubt.

It was a trap, a ploy all from the beginning. Kurama... Kurama was a cunning bastard, but he was also a friend. If he was exposing his boss now, he probably didn't know. Yusuke tried to think if he had ever told Kurama about Yomi and found that Yomi never came up in their conversations.

Damn. Why couldn't he have found out faster?

"Yusuke," Yomi said, moving to thread his hand - the one that was on top of Yusuke's - with his hand, trying to get Yusuke's attention.

Yusuke let him because he couldn't hear anything else, could scarcely breath.

It was too late. He had fallen too deeply already.

It was like he was dying. Suddenly, he could see every moment he spent with Yomi, from beginning up until now. He could see Yomi and himself eating dinner, them chatting, having sex, fucking snuggling afterward, smiling at each other like teenage boys with their first love.

Worse of all, he could see Keiko and every moments they had in their apartment and suddenly Yusuke felt like throwing up. He felt violated and utterly defiled and used and most of all, he fucking tarnished his memory with Keiko.

"Get out," Yusuke said composedly, utterly detached while inwardly feeling ill. He would punch the bastard if he wasn't so numb.

"Yusuke," Yomi said again, sounding so worried and moving towards him with so much concern. Except everything was a lie, wasn't it? A lie, lie, lie, taunting him.

Yusuke mechanically stepped away from him. "Leave," Yusuke ordered again, his tone frigid.

Yomi gazed at him with a familiar look, searching for anything else that might suggest otherwise. Looking for any uncertainty or cracks that would allow him back in.

Yusuke knew he found none when Yomi slowly stepped back, letting their twined hands fall. They slid away from each other, finger by finger and Yusuke did nothing to stop it.

"I," Yomi said, looking from Yusuke to Kurama. As his gaze went to Kurama, his expressions shut off, enabling him to collect himself. "I'll call you," Yomi said, eyes only for Yusuke again.

"Go," was Yusuke's only response.

Yomi glanced at Yusuke one last time, Adam's apple bobbled as though he was about to say something, before finally snapping his jaws shut.

Then, he went.

xxx

It was only when Yusuke was sure that Yomi was gone that he allowed himself to collapse, eyes welled with tears that Yusuke stubbornly refused to allow to fall and mouth opened with silent sobs as he struggled to breath. Kurama gathered him into his arms and Yusuke almost hated him enough to shove him away.

Then he recalled just minutes ago he was in Yomi's arms, blissfully unaware and foolishly happy with the warmth Yomi emitted all around him, and finally, a strangled, broken noise escaped his throat as a teardrop fell against the ground.

He could still feel Yomi's arms around him, welcoming, protective and seared so deeply into his memory that it was like a cage that Yusuke would never be able to escape from.

xxx

Yusuke couldn't remember the aftermath - and wasn't it funny that it was called an _aftermath, _like it was very serious, like an aftermath of a battle of a war except it wasn't. It was only the aftermath of a broken heart and finding out the guy that he liked had lied to him and-

Yusuke submerged himself into the water of the tub and the thoughts quiet down.

Yusuke opened his eyes and for a moment, his eyes stung, but after a while, they adjusted.

His ceiling looked different when he looked at it under the water. It was still plain and white, except it wasn't white now, but more like whitish-blue or something since he was under the water. His vision was distorted, he knew, and other stuff would look much different under water. He just didn't notice about the ceiling since it was plain and the same throughout, so there was nothing about it to mark any difference.

Yusuke knew he wasn't making much sense now and he was also running out of air. His chest hurt and it was fitting in this way that his physical state was matching his feelings.

He almost didn't get up, but he supposed a simple 'I didn't feel like it' wouldn't suffice when he saw Keiko again. She always had a way of berating people and he didn't quite want to hear that just yet, even if he wanted to see her face with his own eyes and tell him he was so _sorry-_

Yusuke came out of the water with his eyes stinging.

xxx

"One month," Yusuke declared to himself. He would sit back at home and do nothing for one month. One month to collect himself and to sort out all his feelings and to compose himself. He would be irresponsible for one month and throw all the work at Botan to take care of. Then...

Yusuke took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

Then, he would move on.

xxx

One month later, Yusuke came out of his self-imposed isolation. The first thing he did was look at his cell phone, which he had turned off for one whole month. Anyone whose opinion mattered to Yusuke and genuinely cared for him had his home phone after all, so it wasn't like they couldn't contact him.

On his phone, Yusuke saw 320 miss calls and 204 text messages from Yomi. There was also one voice mail that was about a minute long.

Yusuke clicked it and there was nothing for a long time. Then, near the end, there were three words.

_"Yusuke... I'm sorry."_

Yusuke closed the voice mail but couldn't bring himself to delete it.

xxx

Yusuke threw himself into working with new rigor, elevating the company's status considerable.

"Yusuke," Botan called out to him hesitantly as Yusuke continued typing away at his computer. The typing sound paused, but Botan saw how his fingers twitched with the urge to continue.

"Yeah?" Yusuke said, his voice a beat too fast, indicating he was impatient.

"Maybe you should rest a little," she tentatively suggested.

Yusuke looked at her as though he never even considered that, like he was outraged at her suggestion. "There's a lot of work I needa catch up on," Yusuke said. "I've been away for a long time."

"Yes, but..." _but you have been working non-stop ever since you came back, _Botan wanted to say, but she knew the words wouldn't get through her boss. "You haven't eaten lunch yet, have you?" she asked instead.

Yusuke blinked and glanced at the time at bottom right of his computer screen. His eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, it's four already?"

Botan nodded. "What do you want to eat? I'll order take out."

"Anything's fine," Yusuke murmured distractedly, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen now that they were back on it.

Botan held back a sigh and nodded, before turning to leave.

"Oh, Botan," Yusuke called, prompting Botan to turn back around. He sat up straight to look at her over his computer screen. The corner of his lips were curved minutely. It was so different from his normal full smile that Botan wanted to cry and shake him and ask him why, but it was an improvement from when he just returned. "Thank you," he said and beneath all the fatigue and pain in his eyes, there was genuine gratitude as well.

Botan's throat tightened. "Yusuke," she said haltingly. "You can always talk to me, you know?"

Yusuke looked at her, noting her seriousness, and nodded briefly. The cloud of pain in his eyes lifted a little. "I know, Botan. I know."

xxx

Most of the days, he would work himself to exhaustion that by the time he got home, the only thing he could do was take a shower and then sleep. Some days, he even forgone showering.

And some days, his mind would be whirling a mile per hour, whirling out of control replaying moments of _them_ and even then Yusuke couldn't see how all that could be fake, that everything was planned out to draw him in. But in retrospect, their relationship had been going too smoothly, wasn't it?

On rare occasions that he allowed himself to think, he would wonder why and was everything a lie? He recalled Yomi's expression, so regretful and raw, and how well could someone act? _Let him explain_, a sentimental part of him whispered.

But Yusuke didn't allow himself to dwell on that, because most of the days, he just wanted that part of his life to be down and over with.

He just wanted to move on.

Xxx

In retrospect, it was inevitable that they would meet again. After all, they were both top stars in the business world. Yusuke found himself wondering how he'd never heard Yomi's name, but then again, Yusuke didn't pay much attention to news and anytime they talked about other companies, it was always by the company name, not (insert-boss name)'s company.

"Yusuke," Yusuke offered evenly, extending a hand out for a handshake.

Yomi's eyes flickered to his face for the briefest second, eyes widening slightly with hurt when he realized Yusuke was going to pretend he'd never met him, before all emotion were pushed back, leaving behind the perfect businessman.

"Yomi," Yomi said, meeting Yusuke's gaze.

His hand met Yusuke's and both of them fought back a shudder at the electrifying feeling they felt at having made contact.

Yusuke fought back the feeling of immediately snatching back his hand and then when he won that battle, he struggled to not hold that hand beyond what was appropriate for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you," Yusuke said, glad his voice wasn't shaky as he withdrew his hand.

Yomi's gaze met Yusuke, causing Yusuke's breath to hitch. "Likewise," Yomi said coolly.

Xxx

They managed to keep their composure throughout the whole meeting, although it was undeniable that some kind of tension hung between Yusuke and Yomi.

Yusuke was itching to leave by the time the meeting finally, _finally_ wrapped up. He shot out of his seat, managing to hold himself back from appearing too rude and made a beeline towards the door.

Yet.

Yet the second Yomi called out his name –_Yusuke, _he said, his voice soft and a statement- Yusuke stopped like a well-trained dog and Yusuke was sure he couldn't hate himself more at that moment as he watched the rest of the people filter through the door, leaving behind only Yomi and Yusuke himself.

There was a long moment of silence between them, stretched thin and taut, just ready to be snapped at any moments. Finally unable to stand the silence anymore, Yusuke turned, a frown schooled on his face. "Did you have shit to say or –"

"I missed you," Yomi said, his voice still impossibly soft and tender, washing over Yusuke like a lullaby.

Yusuke couldn't breathe for a second, forgot how to breathe even, before anger bubbled up to an explosion. "Don't you fucking dare," Yusuke hissed, furious eyes flashing. "Who do you think you fucking are, walking back here 'n saying this kinda shit to me?"

"I told you the truth, Yusuke," Yomi said, eyes meeting Yusuke's head on. "And nothing more."

"Go to hell," Yusuke spat, urging on his anger to not feel any other feelings that struggled to burst out. He look at Yomi, standing there with his perfect suit and composure, not a hair out of place, his face perfectly blank and Yusuke wanted to laugh (_bitterly) _because how could Yomi spout words like that and still keep himself guarded? How could Yusuke trust his words when Yomi cannot trust Yusuke with the truth and all vulnerability that may come out as he admitted them? "You fuckin' liar."

And then it was Yomi's turn to take offense, eyes shining brightly with shimmering anger as he stalked forward like a predatory after a prey, and Yusuke could scarcely believe his eyes as Yomi violently slammed a hand against the door, missing Yusuke by a hair-width. "What more do you want from me?" Yomi demanded, his voice dangerously low.

Yusuke stared, wide-eyes and unable to move, completely stupefied and _wonderstruck. _An angry Yomi was an absolute sexy one and Yusuke totally blamed hormone as blood shot towards his lower region.

Yomi, for all his observant nature, did not notice in his state, so intent he was on Yusuke. He leaned forward, luscious long hair brushing Yusuke's shoulder. "I sent you messages," he said, voice growing lower and lower, yet losing none of its intensity. Yusuke, ridiculously enough, thought of density and supernovas at that moment. Densely packed up shit, ridiculously deceptive with it tiny form, yet would explode under the right condition. "I called, I left voice mails," Yomi continued, closing in even more, leaving Yusuke hard pressed to feel or see anything other than YomiYomiandmoreYomi_. _"I _plead," _he stressed. "I apologized. What more do you want, Yusuke?" His eyes went to Yusuke's and Yusuke was held captive. "_What more do you want from me?"_

Yusuke observed Yomi, eyes scanning Yomi's countenance, his emotions opened for the world to see. Something tugged within Yusuke.

"Tell me," Yusuke said after a long moment, "did you know who I was from the beginning? Head of this company and all."

Something flickered through Yomi's eyes, too fast for Yusuke to truly see what. Slowly, Yomi took a step back, freeing Yusuke from being confine between the door and Yomi's himself. His eyes remained on Yusuke the whole time, unwavering, as if to memorize Yusuke for the last time.

_Yomi, _Yusuke called out in his mind, taking half step forward, somehow instinctively knowing what Yomi was about to do next and wanting to prevent it for reasons unknown to himself.

The inward call went unheard.

Yomi turned, movement not at all halting as he turned to step away from Yusuke and out of his life. His hair swept through the air and for a moment frozen in time, Yomi was blocked from Yusuke's view.

At the sight, inexplicably, a flare of panic went through Yusuke. Before he knew it, Yusuke's hand shot out, catching Yomi's forearm and more importantly_ preventing Yomi from leaving_.

Yomi half turned back, surprise evident on his face.

"Answer me," Yusuke urged, stepping forward and closing the distance between them. His heart pounded against his chest, loud and deafening, yet he was sure he would able to hear Yomi without a problem. At that moment, every fiber of his body and soul was focused on Yomi's answer alone. "Answer me."

Yomi's eyes flicked from where their arms came in contact to Yusuke's eyes, reading… reading whatever was there. Desperation? Hope? Even Yusuke himself didn't know.

Yomi's lips parted. "Yes," he said, slowly like he was agreeing to his death sentence, eyes kept on Yusuke the whole time like a brave man ready to meet death himself. "I knew."

"Kurama?" Yusuke probed, not letting go of Yomi's arm. Not yet. He had expected that answer. There was no way Yomi didn't know Yusuke was the boss.

Yomi nodded, not quite understanding the point of Yusuke's questions, yet willing to answer them. His body was slowly turning to face Yusuke again, not at-ready to leave anymore. Willing, wanting to stay. With Yusuke. "Believe me, Yusuke," Yomi said softly, no longer holding back anything anymore. He was pouring his everything into this, despite no longer expecting a reciprocating answer. "If I could do thing over, I would."

"What would you redo?" Yusuke asked, gazing into Yomi's eyes. "Not meeting me?"

Yomi slowly slipped his hand out of Yusuke's grip and carefully brought a hand up to Yusuke's face. Yusuke let him, not even seeming to notice it, so intent he was with staring at Yomi. Yomi's lips quirked a little at Yusuke's question. "No," he said, brushing his thumb against the edge of Yusuke's chocolate eyes. "I – I wish I didn't set up our meeting at the cemetery. If we had met naturally, would you still have this doubt –rightfully placed- in me?"

Slowly, Yusuke shook his head and Yomi's hand slipped off his face. "No," Yusuke said, answering Yomi's question. "Probably not."

"But," Yusuke continued, "I wouldn't have changed the meeting."

And slowly, very slowly, a shadow of a smile crossed Yusuke's face. "After all," he said, lifting a hand to Yomi's face. He pushed himself up and leaned forward. "I wouldn't have met you if that changed."

Shock flashed across Yomi's face, so raw and vulnerable, at the implication behind Yusuke's words. Before Yomi could think of a reply, Yusuke leaned up and pressed their lips together chastely. Yomi froze, all thoughts fleeing his mind.

Yusuke pulled back a second later and took a step back, creating a distance between them. Yomi wanted to reach out, to close the distance, but the hand Yusuke held out stopped him.

"I'm still angry at you, Yomi, and I don't think I'll ever forgive you for this. I'll try not to be, but occasionally, I would be an absolute asshole to you. Even so, would you still have me?" Yusuke asked, straight at Yomi.

Yomi looked at Yusuke, the man who he hadn't meant to hurt but still willing to give Yomi another chance. Forgive and forget? Yomi wrapped an arm around Yusuke and pulled Yusuke close, bringing their forehead together. "Please," Yomi whispered, before pressing his lips to Yusuke's. He didn't need any of that.

Yusuke and Yomi moved against one another, all soft lips and gentle hands. When they parted, Yusuke's eyes held a hint of laughter. For a moment, fear seized Yomi. Was this all an elaborated joke to get back at Yomi?

But then Yusuke let out a genuine giggle and kissed Yomi's forehead, and all the fears evaporated.

"Please?" Yusuke said lightly, a smile lingering on his face. "Still so formal, I see. I'll have to get you to kick that habit again."

"Please do," Yomi said, a smile slowly spreading across his own face. "Or at least you're welcome to try."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge I hear?"

Yomi chuckled softly. "Is it?"

"Oh Yomi, you're so _on_," Yusuke said. He managed to keep that up for a total of a second, before he broke down giggling and when he did, Yomi was right beside him, smiling right back.

Xxx

Yusuke was smiling as he stopped in front of Keiko's grave, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He gently placed them down and looked at the gravestone of Keiko. "Hey, Keiko," he said, tenderly brushing a hand against the characters of Keiko's names. "Missed me? I know I missed you."

There was no reply, but Yusuke had expected that. He stood up straight.

"I've brought someone to meet you, Keiko," Yusuke said. He turned and raised his voice. "So if he would _get his ass over here_."

"Yusuke," Yomi said as he walked towards him. "Please don't raise your voice or use such language in a cemetery."

Yusuke looked around to see a couple of people stopped mid-sob to stare at Yusuke, looking utterly scandalized. Yomi smiled apologetically at them before Yusuke could flip them the bird or stick his tongue out.

Yusuke huffed as Yomi stopped in front of him. "I'll use whatever language I want," Yusuke snapped, not unlike a petulant child. Yomi hid a smile when Yusuke didn't curse at Yomi to prove his point.

"Of course," Yomi said, steering Yusuke to face Keiko's grave again. "I thought you wanted to introduce us."

Yusuke turned to him and although he didn't put his hand on his hip, if he did, the action would match the frown-y look on Yusuke's face. "You're changing the subject, aren't you?"

Yomi nearly sighed. "I'm spoiling you too much."

To that, Yusuke stuck out his tongue at him. Yomi smirked as he leaned forward and captured the appendage with his teeth, eliciting a squawk of surprise from Yusuke. That led to a short but aggressive bout of kissing.

When they parted, the people around them all stopped in mid-sob again, staring at them incredulously. Yomi and Yusuke exchanged a look at that and promptly burst out laughing.

"Ak! I forgot!" Yusuke exclaimed in mid-laugh and Yomi looked at Yusuke. He was surprised to see Yusuke's face turning red. "Erm…" Yusuke said, slowly turning to face Keiko's grave. "…"

Yusuke let out an annoyed noise when he couldn't think of anything to say and promptly dropped down to a sit in front of the grave, burying his head in his hand. "Oh fuck. I'm an asshole. I didn't even introduce you guys before I kissed that bastard in front of you."

"Yusuke," Yomi called in protest at being called a bastard. Yusuke ignored him.

"I even had this speech planned out, yanno, since I didn't know how these things work. Now I can't remember a damn word I'm supposed to say."

There was a moment of silence as Yusuke finally ran out of words. Finally, he sighed and combed his hand through his hair. Yusuke looked up at Yomi and tugged at his arm, gesturing for Yomi to go down.

Yomi gave Yusuke a questioning look, but moved down to Yusuke's level without a word.

"Yomi, meet Keiko. Keiko, meet Yomi," Yusuke said, gesturing to each of them. "Keiko, do you recognize this guy? Yeah, I bet you do. Only I wouldn't recognize the rival to your company." Yomi made a move to speak, but Yusuke held him off. "Long story short, I'm dating him now. He was kinda all asshole-ic about not letting me know about the rival thing, so I'm kinda being all asshole-ic back now to even out the score."

Yusuke took a deep breath. "Despite all that, Yomi's a pretty good guy and I'm happy with him." Yusuke's eyes softened. "I'll never forget you, Keiko, never doubt that, no matter how many Yomis come along."

"I intend for that number to remain at one," Yomi said dryly, finally speaking up. He looked at the grave and earnestly said, "Miss Keiko, I've had the pleasure of meet you twice on a business occasion and considered you to be a wonderful entrepreneur. When I found out that you were Yusuke's lover, I found it a pity that I've never had the chance to get to know you before your ultimate demise."

"Are you hitting on my dead girlfriend?" Yusuke deadpanned, staring at Yomi incredulously.

"No," Yomi said, glaring at Yusuke. They stared at each other for a long while, until Yomi finally looked away since he knew how stubborn Yusuke could be. At that rate, they could stare at each other all day long. He turned back to Keiko's grave. "You are a prominent figure in Yusuke's life and it was you who shaped Yusuke into who he is today. He would never forget you and rest assured, I would never ask him to either. We both care too much about Yusuke to ask him to choose. With that said, Miss Keiko, would you please give me Yusuke's hand? I promise I would take care of him for the rest of his life and to stay by his side for however long he wishes to stay with me and beyond."

There was a moment of silence, before Yusuke thwaped Yomi on his head. "What do you mean 'stay by his side for however long he wishes to stay with me'?" Yusuke quoted, sounding annoyed. "Who do you think I am, someone who changes his mind easily?"

"Yusuke, that's not what I meant," Yomi said trying to calm him down, but Yusuke would not be assuaged.

"And take care of me for the rest of my life?" Yusuke said. "I don't need anyone to take care of me." A flash of hurt went through Yomi's face unnoticed by Yusuke. "If anything, I'll take care of you!"

Yomi froze, surprised.

"This is an equal relationship, you hear me?" Yusuke demanded, staring down at Yomi despite that fact that Yomi was taller than him. "I don't need anyone carrying me on their back and neither do you. An occasional body for support in a drunken moment would do."

Yomi stared at Yusuke for another long moment, before letting out a laugh. "Oh Yusuke," he said, marveling about how Yusuke never failed to surprise him. He leaned forward.

Yusuke and Yomi met for a kiss, long and loving. As they did, a gently breeze swept through the cemetery, rustling both their hair like a caress.

They parted after a moment and smiled at each other. Then, they directed their attention back to the grave and Yusuke blinked.

"Hey, why did this come out?" Yusuke said, picking up the zinnia that fell out of the bouquet he brought to Keiko.

"It might have been the wind," Yomi commented.

"Magenta," Yusuke murmured, staring at the flower in hand.

"Yusuke, what is it?" Yomi asked, glancing at the flower.

Yusuke looked up and after a moment, smiled at Yomi. "Nothing," he said, slipping the magenta zinnia into the breast pocket of Yomi's suit. "Keiko just gave us her blessing."

Yomi looked at Yusuke questioningly, but didn't ask as Yusuke just kept on smiling mysteriously.

Yusuke stood. "Should we go?"

Yomi nodded and together, they said goodbye to Keiko.

"We'll come to visit," Yusuke promised.

As they left together, hand in hand, a transparent figure shimmered above the grave. A small smile slipped across the figure's face as she watched the two men leave, before disappearing once more.

Xxx

"Zinnia," Yomi commented. "Why did you buy zinnia for Miss Keiko?"

"It was her favorite," Yusuke answered, "because it had so many meaning."

"Such as…" Yomi prompted.

"Thoughts of friends, lasting affection, thinking of an absent friend, constancy, goodness and daily remembrance," Yusuke said, ticking the meanings off his finger. "Different colors have different meanings."

"I'm surprised you knew all of that," Yomi commented with a smile. Yusuke huffed, a little indignant. Yomi chuckled and glanced at the magenta zinnia in his breast pocket. "What does this one mean?" he asked, indicating.

Yusuke's eyes drifted to the zinnia and a smile slid across his face. "Lasting affection," he answered.

Yomi's eyes widened with surprise, before smiling. "I see," he murmured, slipping his hand into Yusuke's. He squeezed gently. "Lasting affection, is it?"

"Yup," Yusuke said, grinning at Yomi and as he did, Yomi smiled back.

[End]

* * *

Was it a little cliche? Yes, I know the fall-in-love-with-your-rival plot is overdone, but I had trouble thinking of a conflict between Yusuke and Yomi. Anyway, I had fun writing this piece, so I hope you had fun reading too.

Shout-out to everyone who faved and alerted, and to Everlasting hunger for doing both_ and _reviewing. Really, thank you.


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